Mortal Coil
by Angel saiyan 22
Summary: In his Trickster days, Gabriel wasn't quite as careful as he should have been. Now he's alive again... why? He's about to discover just why, and he's in for a big surprise! Tiny bit AU.
1. Chapter 1

Mortal Coil

Prologue:

Things are never as they seem. Sometimes the smallest, most innocent act can lead to something bigger. Sometimes even angels make mistakes. For example, a certain runaway Archangel could die in a fight against his big brother… and return to life with no clue as to why. That is where this story begins… it begins at the end.

Chapter 1:

"You learned all your tricks from me, little brother."

Gabriel couldn't believe what was happening. Yes, he was all set to do the same thing to Lucifer only moments ago, but… he knew he's hesitate. He hoped to hold Lucifer and talk to his big brother. Instead, he, the Trickster, was tricked and now had an angel sword in his gut. Words and lights blurred and Lucifer pressed the sword in deeper. That was the last thing Gabriel was aware of as his grace literally exploded. He fell to the ground, scorch marks on the ground in the shape of larges wings.

Lucifer looked down on his brother. For a moment, he felt pity. But all his time in the cage hardened and turned him cold. He regained his composure and left the hotel, ready to move on with the Apocalypse.

About an hour later, a tall figure in a black hoodie burst into the hotel. The bodies of the pagans were scattered, blood was everywhere. He ran, spotting a body and stopping dead in his tracks. An old man was on the floor, a huge puddle of blood under him. The figure in the hoodie tensed and clenched his massive fists, screaming in rage as he moved through the building. He came to the body of the man he was searching for. He still could not believe that his adopted brother turned out to be an angel, but… there was the proof in front of him. Removing the hood, blonde locks fell into the man's face. Thunder boomed outside as he shook in rage and grief. The thunder god Thor was now left to be the King of Asgard. Lucifer had killed both his father Odin, and his brother Loki.

Thor was not much for words, so he didn't say anything as more Pagan Gods came in, coming to claim the bodies of their family members. Thor returned to the realm of Asgard with Odin and Gabriel. Their bodies were put someplace safe within the castle, in glass coffins. Thor was not ready to say goodbye to his only remaining family just yet. Sif, his wife, was the only Asgardian God left aside from himself.

Thor's first responsibility now was Asgard. He prepared to defend it as the Apocalypse drew closer. His men were prepared for battle. Thor was in full battle gear. He had his armor, and his hammer, Mjolnir, ready for battle. As the time approached, he received Intel. The Winchesters prevented the final battle. All was peaceful once more.

Months passed, and the Thunderer was at odds. He was no king, he was never meant to be king, but here he was. He spent a lot of time these days walking the halls of the castle deep in thought. Many nights he found himself in the crypt, staring at the bodies of his father and brother.

"I should have been there for you, father… instead I was with the mortals on Midgard… I am not ready to be king, dammit!" The Asgardian king's powers got away from him as a storm brewed outside.

"And you, brother… " Thor was at a loss for words. His brother Loki, an angel? How was that even possible? True, a pagan just appearing out of nowhere was odd, but to actually be an angel? Why would an angel play Pagan dress up?

Thor shook his head and took a seat on a stone bench, staring at the foot of the glass caskets.

"I could really use some help…"

The storm dissipated as Thor began to leave the crypt. He wouldn't find any answers here with the dead. Perhaps he'd call on his father's ravens. Make a deal for wisdom in exchange for an eye. He needed all the help he could get right now.

As Thor passed his brother's cold remains, he paused, sensing something. Was that warm blood pumping? Here, among Pagans? Perhaps dinner was almost ready. But no, that wasn't it. It smelled far too fresh and far too familiar. As he turned, he saw the cold pale body of his brother gain a little color. As Thor turned to fully face him, Gabriel's body jerked and sat up. He inhaled deeply and coughed painfully.

"Brother? Loki?" Thor moved over to him, not believing his eyes.

"Of course it's me." Gabriel hit his own chest for a moment, "Who else would it be?"

The archangel looked around. He was very confused. Why was he in the family crypt in Asgard? Why was he in one of the caskets?

"Whoa, I'm not dead yet thunder boy. What's going on here?" Gabriel stood from the table, looking around, very confused.

"Loki, a lot has happened my brother. You have been dead for many months…"

"Pfff! Me?" Gabriel helps out his arms, "I'm Loki! The Trickster!"

"No. You are not Loki. You are an angel. We know, Loki. Remember the hotel? Remember Lucifer?"

Gabriel stared at Thor for a long moment, dropping his arms, "I… don't remember that at all! Thor, did you sneak into dad's ale again? You know that stuff makes you cuckoo for cocoa puffs."

Thor lifted one of his large arms and pointed to the other casket, "Then explain to me why our father is dead." He lowered his arm, "And also tell me why we saw the scorched wings under your dead body."

Gabriel stared at Odin, all his usual Trickster persona fading as he slowly walked over. The man who was more of a father to him than God was dead.

"I… don't remember. I really do not remember." He turned to Thor, "The last thing I remember… the Winchesters found out I was…"

"We all know, Loki… you're an angel. I am still unsure of how I feel about that. But I do know… that you could not _pretend_ to be my brother all this time."

"I'm… I'm shocked. I am… really confused." Gabriel waved a finger in thought, "I need chocolate. Chocolate will help me think. Chocolate and Asgardian ale…" Thor made a face, "What? Okay, fine. No ale. But I want twice the chocolate."

AS22: Hey! Long time no see loyal fans! I just couldn't help myself, a new fandom grabbed me! Please leave me some constructive reviews, unlike in the past, I am only uploading this one chapter at a time. My old fans know I used to write out whole stories before posting.

:D luff you all!


	2. Ch 2  A Chat Between Thor and Gabriel

Thor could not believe what he was seeing. He was at his usual seat in the great hall, a mug of Ale in front of him. Across from him sat Gabriel, who, at Thor's command, had just about every kind of chocolate dessert imaginable in front of him. And the worst part was, the Archangel was scarfing it all down as quickly as he could. It made Thor ill just to watch him. It also reminded him of the first meal they shared together. Loki had entered the pagan realm and soon worked his way into the Norse family. When dinner was served, the usual kind of pagan dish, Thor did everything he could to avoid eating. He didn't miss that Loki did as well.

Why wouldn't Thor eat the flesh of a man? Easy. Thor wasn't a cannibal. He was part human, and couldn't bring himself to eat it. That was how the pagan eventually came to accept Loki as his brother.

Thor sighed as he took another drink. Obviously they were going to have to talk while Gabriel was eating, since he didn't seem to be slowing any time soon.

"Loki?"

"Hm? Oh, go ahead, I'll just be eating more." As if to prove his point, Gabriel chomped down into another piece of chocolate cake.

"I figured. First of all, I want to know. What is your real name?"

Gabriel sighed, finished his bite and looked at Thor, serious for once, "I am Gabriel, the messenger of the lord."

"Archangel…"

"Yup! One and only. We done now?"

"Not even close." Thor said, putting down his mug.

"Yeah, something told me we weren't."

"This is serious, brother."

"You know me better than most of my REAL family, Thor. You know I don't like serious."

"Aye, I know." Thor sighed, leaning on the table, "Brother, you have been in the family crypt for 18 months. Give or take."

"Months?" Gabriel gestured to himself, "Me? Now that had to be some party."

"It wasn't a damn party, Loki!" Thor slammed his fist on the table, "I need you to focus! You have to pay attention!"

As if to drive the point, thunder cracked in the Asgardian night sky, loud enough to echo in the grand hall. The wind picked up as rain and lighting fell from the sky. Gabriel nearly dropped his fork, all humor draining from him.

"Alright Thor. You have my undivided attention."

"Good." Thor sighed, though the weather outside didn't ease up, "Eighteen months ago, the Pagans all gathered together in the mortal realm. The leaders of all the different groups met, luring in the Winchesters."

"I… I remember that." Gabriel said, finally seeming to lose his appetite as he pushed aside the dirty dinnerware and leaned onto the table, "I warned Odin not to go… that Michael and Lucifer would be angry. He wouldn't listen."

"He would not let me accompany him." Thor added, "He said he had to go alone… to prove to the other pagans that he was not an old, weak man… but now I think there was more."

"More? Whaddya mean more?"

"Father gave his eye to the ravens for wisdom. I think he… knew it was his time. I think he knew he was going to die, and if we had both been there with him… well…"

"Asgard would be left without a king. Gotcha."

The present king of Asgard nodded slowly. He studied Gabriel's face. He knew his brother would remember, he just didn't know how long it would take.

"Think, Loki. Kali used her blood binding to hold the Winchesters. That's when you came in. Think. Remember."

Gabriel didn't like being serious, hell, that was part of the reason why he left during all the fighting in heaven. But he did know there was a time and a place, and that was now. He leaned on the table, arms crossed and deep in thought. After a moment, he looked down at his shirt. It was the same one he wore that night. He took part of it in his hands and put a couple fingers through the hole in it. Then, slowly, he lifted his shirt, seeing a faint white scar on his torso.

"I… I remember." Gabriel said in a low, almost breathy tone, "Lucifer, he… my brother…."

"Aye, Gabriel… he smote thee."

"Stop talking like that, it's just us here Thor."

"Sorry, habit."

Gabriel sat at the table for what could have been only minutes or hours. He remembered everything slowly, as if reliving it. He had Sam and Dean Winchester take off with Kali, then he gave Lucifer one hell of a speech. He was pretty proud of that speech. Then there was the killing blow. Lucifer knew he was behind him the whole time. Gabriel didn't really stand a chance. The blade went in… so deep, so painful. He grasped at his big brother desperately, but it didn't stop him. Lucifer… for a moment, the last thing Gabriel saw was the pain on Lucifer's face. Then there was nothing. Nothing, until he woke up in the crypt with a huge craving for chocolate.

"I remember everything now Thor." The archangel Gabriel lifted his eyes to his adopted brother, "I died… like a warrior of Asgard. You and dad would have been proud."

"I'm sure Odin would be proud. But there is still one question to be answered…"

"I know… why am I alive again?" Gabriel really had no idea as to why, "I need to know something else first, bro… what happened after I died?"

Thor looked solemn for a moment, before replying, "Michael and Lucifer met on the battlefield. The true vessel of Lucifer, the younger Winchester, he somehow managed to take control and now both of your elder brothers are in Lucifer's cage."

"I knew that boy could pull it off." Gabriel kind of tilted his head as he nodded, "Wasn't sure how exactly, but I knew he'd figure it out."

"That is the last I heard from earth. I kept my focus here on Asgard as its king."

Gabriel nodded, "Well, maybe I should pop in and say 'hi' to Deano. Maybe he'll know something." Gabriel stood, "I'll keep in touch, brother."

With that, Gabriel raised his hand with a grin, and snapped his fingers.

…and nothing happened.

Thor raised a brow as Gabriel looked at his hand, the grin fading as he tried again… and again… and again, to no avail. There was no angel mojo powering those clicks of his fingers.

"You've got to be kidding me!"


	3. What Kind of Reunion is This?

A note from AS22:

I've been informed that I completely forgot about Baulder. Thanks for pointing that out! That was a goof on my end. But, for the sake of the story's flow, I'm not going to go back and add in anything. Let's just assume Thor was a good brother and retrieved Baulder's body as well, along with any other Asgardians I may have missed! Thank you Somilge for informing me!

"You've got to be kidding me!"

What was going on? Gabriel felt fine, like his old self, but there was no angel mojo powering him anymore. The pagan/angel grasped at his hair and started to pace near the table of the grand hall.

"Okay… my mojo is gone. I'm what… mortal now? Human?" Gabriel said, mostly to himself, as he lowered his arms from his head and crossed them over his chest, "I can't teleport, which is the easiest trick an angel can do."

Gabriel stopped pacing and turned to the table, snapping his fingers again. Whatever he was attempting to do, Thor could see that it wasn't working. The frustration was clear on Gabriel's face.

"Brother, you were dead. Your grace was destroyed when the angel sword killed you. Perhaps-"

Gabriel turned to face his muscly brother, pointing at him, "You're right! My grace, if I'm back then I need to find it!"

Thor gave him a funny look, "But Loki, it was destroyed."

"Maybe not all of it. There's a chance a piece of my grace is somewhere on earth. I need to find it so I can get back to my life."

Thor thought that sounded reasonable. After all, Loki was second only to Bacchus when it came to partying. Perhaps somewhere in the past, a drunken Loki dropped his grace somewhere, or gambled it away. Either way, Thor was going to help however he could.

"I shall have Heimdall open the Bifrost Bridge for you, Loki. You can return to earth that way. You'll have to find your own transport from there.'

"What? Do you expect me to walk?" Gabriel asked, turning to Thor. The King of Asgard just gave him a flat look, not saying anything. The quiet was more than enough of a response, "Dammit."

"Come Loki, Heimdall can locate the elder Winchester for you. You will be on your own from there, though. I have to stay in Asgard, Laufey has been itching to attack ever since Odin died."

"Stupid frost giants." Gabriel muttered. He followed his brother out toward the portal also known as the Bifrost Bridge. It was a portal, but they called it a bridge because that term was easier for the primitive humans to understand. Before stepping any close though, Gabriel stopped, "I promise you, Thor. When I have my grace back, the first thing I'll do is bring back our father."

Thor gave Gabriel a serious and solemn look. Loki knew him better than he thought. Thor wasn't cut out to be a king, not yet anyway. He was meant to be a warrior, a general of an army. He wasn't meant for diplomacy or to sit on a throne all day.

"Thank you, Loki."

"What are brothers for? Now come on, let's get going."

"There's one more thing, brother." Thor put his hand on Gabriel's shoulder, a faint glow passing from brother to brother. Gabriel blinked in confusion and looked at his hands, feeling some kind of surge of energy inside him.

"What was that?"

"Emergency power. You'll need it, I'm sure. There's not a lot but it should allow you to teleport and heal at least."

"Thanks, Thor." Gabriel wouldn't really admit it, but he was extremely touched. Thor was a much better brother than any of the others had been. Only one brother compared but… that was a long time ago.

"Last piece of advice. Tuck and roll."

Before Gabriel could respond, Thor turned to the rainbow colored portal and shoved him through.

'_Man killed in freak lightning strike'_

'_Toymaker H. Bonner killed in lightning strike'_

'_Lightning strikes home, kills one'_

"Ha! Bonner…"

"Dean, be serious."

"Oh come on Sam, that's funny!" Dean took a drink of his bottle of beer, "Why are you showing me this anyway? It happens. Doesn't mean it's our kind of case."

The Winchester brothers were sitting in another cheap motel room. The wall paper was an ugly gray-green, the beds were a slightly deeper shade of green, and the TV was older, but it had cable. Oddly, the carpet was red. But hell, it was a room, and it was definitely not the worse they had been in. Sam sat back on his bed, laptop in his lap as he looked up potential cases. Dean and laying back in his bed, leaning on the wall as he drank his beer. It was late at night, but not too late. Just enough to be dark. That was a relief from the heat of Phoenix, Arizona.

"Well I researched the guy, and you wanna know what the last toy was he designed?"

"I'm all ears Sammy." Said younger Winchester frowned a bit at how casual his brother was being.

"He designed the Thor action figures." Sam replied, pausing to let it sink in. Dean eyed his brother sideways. The wheels were turning in his head and a grin spread.

"The guy made the Thor toys and then got hit by lightning. Now it's starting to sound like something we need to investigate."

"You remember that motel?" Sam asked, "When all those pagan gods held us hostage?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Odin was there. He was killed."

"Who?"

Sam sighed, you'd think by now Dean would know a few more details on the creatures they hunted. Or at least the ones they had met.

"Odin, king of the Norse gods. Thor's dad."

"Ah. So now Thor is king and didn't like the toys being made to look like himself and his family? Can't say I blame him."

Before Sam could respond, there was a knock at the door. Dean hopped up and answered the door.

"Dinner time!"

Gabriel hit the ground hard. The archangel wasn't as durable as he was 18 months ago, so for a while there he was pretty out of it. He sat up slowly, literally in the middle of nowhere. He frowned and brushed himself off as he looked around.

"Dean sure does know how to live it up."

He noticed the motel after a moment, and the sexy car out front. He only knew one guy who'd drive that kind of car, a classic Impala, and stay at a poor motel like that. Gabriel smirked and snapped his fingers, producing a delivery boy get up and a box of hot pizza. It would at least be a way to get his foot in the door and he knew that Dean would have ordered something by now. And hey, he needed to talk to the Winchester, so using some of Thor's power was necessary.

How odd, he thought. Dean was a lot like him in some ways…

Okay, maybe not THAT much alike…

Gabriel felt a little silly sneaking like this, but it was necessary. He pulled down the brim of his cap to help cover his face before knocking on the door. He could hear movement inside and then there he was, the elder Winchester, opening the door.

"Hello there. Got a large one here for ya. Mind if I step inside for a minute? The heat is brutal out here."

With the hat covering most of his face, Dean didn't realize who Gabriel was right away. So Dean saw no harm in letting the stranger step into the air conditioning.

"How much do I owe ya?" Dean asked, about to pull out his wallet. Gabriel grinned and removed his hat.

"How about some information?"

"Gabriel?" Dean jumped back and Sam stood, pulling his gun.

"Well not sure what I was expecting but I don't think this was it. You're looking good, Deano." He turned to Sam, a bit surprise, "Sam… you're looking a lot more… topside than I imagined."

Gabriel didn't need to ask what happened. He knew Lucifer was gone now. How? Well first of all, the world was pretty much just as he left it. No croatoan zombies, no ruined cities, just the planet as it always had been. The other reason? Well, Gabriel was an archangel even with his reserve of power tapped out, he could see when there was an angel or a demon in a human vessel. There was neither here, just Sam's soul in Sam's body.

"Is that really you, Gabriel?" Dean asked. The archangel smirked and snapped his fingers, changing back into his green jacket.

"Yeah, I am. And I need answers. Thought you'd be by best chance at getting some. Didn't expect Gigantor over there though." Sam frowned at him, "Just kidding Sam."

"Well what happened?" Gabriel was a little surprised that Sam and Dean were willing to help him. Especially after the hell he put them through. He thought there would be some resistance, but he wasn't about to complain. He just leaned back on the wall, arms crossed, and told them what he knew so far.

"And the Bifrost Bridge brought me here."

"So what are we supposed to do?" Dean asked.

"Hell, I don't know." Gabriel said, throwing his arms up, "But you boys are always in the thick of it, I figured this would be a good first shot at finding my grace."

"We could call Cas." Dean suggested.

"What? No, come on!" Gabriel said, "Last thing I need is another angel—"

There was the sound of fluttering of wings, and the boys and Gabriel all three looked over to the figure in the long coat who just happened to appear.

"I was already on my way." Castiel looked up from the Winchesters, "Gabriel…"

"Eh… hey there… little bro."


	4. Chuckles the Prophet

AN: I'd like to thank my loyal fans for helping me get my muse back. Lets hope it sticks around!

Chapter 4:

"I wish it were under better circumstances, brother." Castiel replied, turning to Sam and Dean, "You should have called me sooner."

"So you know about this?" Dean asked.

"I know of… Loki's reputation. And now knowing Gabriel and Loki are one in the same, it made sense."

"Does that mean you know where my grace is?"

"No." Castiel replied, staring at Gabriel.

"Oh come on! This is just not my day."

"But…" Castiel looked between the three, "I know someone who might."

"Good! Gimme the name and I'll be on my merry way." Gabriel tilted his head a bit, "Or better yet, zap me there. I'm running on fumes as it is."

"Very well Gabriel." Castiel walked over and put two fingers to Gabriel's forehead. In an instant, the room was short one angel.

"Well…" Dean looked between Sam and Castiel, "This puts a whole new spin on the whole 'pizza guy' thing, don't it?" The elder Winchester grinned at Castiel, who was oblivious, and at Sam, who just rolled his eyes.

"Looks like we oughtta just stay away from Thor this time." Sam said. That was something all three of them could agree on.

XXX

Imagine if you will, a very luxurious house. Just imagine it. Got it? Good. Now, imagine the house is stone, very old, but very well kept. It's European, probably Scotland, way, way out in the highlands with lots of rolling hills. There's a cliff a safe distance away that drops down to the white capped ocean. The sky is gray almost year round, but occasionally the sun does peek out.

The house is actually not just a house, but a castle. Inside the stone walls, eventually, you get to a large living area. The carpet is plush, and a fire is lit. There is a wall filled with shelves of books, and nice furniture. And there, in front of the fire, is a large, high back chair lined with red velvet, and it faces the large fireplace. The small table beside the chair has a glass of scotch sitting on it. And in the chair sits a well-dressed man, deep in thought, staring into the fire. If he were to will it, those hazel eyes would turn bright red. However, there was no need for that right now. Crowley wasn't much in showing off his power. He didn't have to.

"Sir…"

Crowley turned from the fire when another well-dressed man entered the room. One of many of Crowley's men. This particular man though was known as Jonathan Stark. He wasn't very tall. He wasn't very well built. But he was very good looking. He had a trim goatee and jet black hair. He also happened to be Crowley's personal assistant.

"Yes?"

"Our men have found something that may interest you."

"And what is there left to impress me aside from the Spear of Destiny? Anyone found that yet, Jonathan?"

"Um, no, sir." The demon in the suit swallowed uncomfortably, "But this still may interest you, sir. If I may?"

"If you insist."

The demon walked over to stand between Crowley and the fire, handing the new King of Hell a beige portfolio. Crowley opened it and looked over the document inside. He was certainly interested from his reaction and he lifted his eyes up to the assistant.

"These are accurate?"

"Yes sir."

"Who else knows of this?"

"Only us, sir, and the small troop of Black-eyes who discovered it by accident."

"I see.' Crowley looked over the papers once more before standing and handing it back to the assistant, "Tell no one else. We're going. Now."

"Yes sir."

XXX

Gabriel was not expecting this. Here he was in front of a house. Just a house. He couldn't even sense any wards on it to protect the inhabitant. Was this guy a civilian? How could a civvy help him?

The archangel shrugged to himself and went up to the door. He was about to knock when a smaller, nervous looking man opened the door. Immediately Gabriel smelled alcohol.

"Oh god, its you, its really… you. Oh, nice, alright…" the guy moved to let Gabriel in, gesturing for him to do so. The scruffy little guy looked really nervous.

"Um, yeah, Archangel Gabriel at your service, I guess." Gabriel was good and confused now.

"Chuck… the prophet."

"A prophet?" Gabriel grinned, "Perfect! So do you-"

"No." Chuck said quickly, looking nervous, and looking for a bottle that still had alcohol in it. Archangels made him nervous.

"Dammit!"

"But I do have a strong lead for you." Chuck replied nervously as he moved over to a very large, very messy stack of papers and folders. Gabriel thought it was a good thing he was there, if those towers fell, the author might be trapped for days.

"You do! Awesome! Alright chucklehead, lay it on me."

"Hang on, I'm looking."

"For what? The table?" Gabriel smirked, referring of course to all the papers scattered over the table. Chuck looked over at him, still nervous, but with a look like he couldn't believe what the archangel just said. After all, the little he saw of the actually angels and what he had learned growing up didn't really lead him to believe they'd joke around. Even after knowing Gabriel was the Trickster the Winchesters had faced more than once.

"It's uh, well, uh… I don't exactly put everything I see in the books. I do leave some things out. I uh… I uh, dream it, see, then I write it all down, but then I uh…" Chuck stopped when a small stack of the papers scattered and an old, glass bottle with no label hit the ground, not breaking, but still noisy and making the prophet jump.

"Chuckles, buddy, calm down, okay?" Gabriel wasn't much for comforting, well, anyone, especially not this twitchy prophet, but he knew enough to just keep his voice calm and not get any closer to him, "Tell me what your point is."

Somehow, even with the archangel in the room, even with himself being awfully close to sober and more twitchy than a rabbit in a fox den, Chuck managed to calm down, "Point, right, my point is that I don't put it all in the books when I go to get them published. Things that don't really fit in with the Winchesters, you know? I can't just throw in some random tidbit about a character that… well… as popular as you are, as important as you ended up being, at the time what I saw wasn't really something useful for the book series. You get it?"

Gabriel did have to think on that. Yes, he knew about Chuck's little job as an author. How he wrote the "Winchester Gospel". But he wasn't human. Never had been. He could pretend to be human much better than any other angel. He'd lived among them. But there were some things he still didn't quite understand. Like "fanboys" for example.

"Uh, I think I get it well enough…."

"Alright, well…" the prophet got quiet as he pulled out a folder and looked it over, "I've kept copies of everything, digital and hard copies both. In case the Winchesters show up wanting something."

"Isn't all that rather dangerous?"

"Not really, it's set in stone to happen… unless an archangel interferes… like when Sam was supposed to get busy with Lilith…"

"TMI, dude."

"Well my point's the same. It's going to happen no matter what. So it's not really dangerous."

"Ah… alright." Gabriel crossed his arms, "So what, did you write something about my grace? Is that it?"

"You got it, fluffy." Almost as soon as Chuck said it, he regretted it. But Gabriel just chuckled at him, so he continued, holding out the folder, "It's not a lot, but I have a digital copy, so…here."

"You're just handing it over?"

"It's got details for something that belongs to you. I think it belongs to you, don't you think?"

"Guess so…" Gabriel looked down at the folder, itching to read what was in it. He was about to open it but Chuck stopped him.

"I'm expecting Becky and my publisher here any time to go over the next book. You might wanna get going before they show up. Becky might recognize you and gush and… it'd just be really awkward for everyone."

"Oh, sure. But hey, once I get my grace back, I'm paying you back pal. Got it? You name it."

"Sure, sure."

With that, the distracted ex-angel teleported out of the house. He didn't have much reserve power, but he had enough to do that. Chuck knew he went and found himself a motel. He'd sleep there, exhausted like he had never been before. He'd be safe there overnight. Then first thing when he woke up, he'd read what was in the folder.

Chuck though? Things weren't as clear for himself. He never had visions of himself. He never knew if he would survive an encounter with the Winchesters or whatever they brought with them. So right now, the twitchy prophet, with Gabriel gone, bolted into his kitchen. He pulled out a bottle of holy water from the fridge and a canister of rock salt from on top of the fridge. When he turned, he jumped, nearly dropping the items.

Why did he jump? Because there in his kitchen doorway stood a well-dressed man with a goatee. He was grinning, and leaning on the doorway until the prophet stood up. This was who Chuck had been expecting. Not Becky. Because for the first time in his life, last night, Chuck had a vision of himself. It was very short, and he didn't know what would happen to him. But he knew Gabriel would have been killed for the folder if he had stayed, even if there was more than one copy. Demons didn't typically let angels live if given the chance to kill one, and Gabriel would have a big target on him now without his powers. It was odd. Chuck was protecting an angel and not the other way around.

"Mr. Carver Edlund, isn't it? The _oh_ so popular Supernatural author. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find you? Didn't take me too awfully long to get that editor to speak up though."

"Don't you come near me, I know what you are!" the prophet held out the bottle and canister, but Jonathan just grinned, his eyes flashing red as he just flipped his wrist, sending the bottle and canister across the room, right out of Chuck's hands.

"Boy you sure aren't a hunter, are you?" he started to move over to Chuck, who backed up into the counter, eyes wide.

"If you don't leave, a…. an angel is going to show up! An archangel! I'm a prophet, they won't let you hurt me!"

"Oh you're just trying so hard, aren't you?" the man actually giggled, making Chuck wonder just how mad the man really was. He hadn't seen a lot in the vision, just enough to know that this man broke on the rack in more ways than one and he was not to be taken lightly, "There are no more archangels. Two are dead and two are trapped in the cage."

"Ha! One's still alive so you better run!" and Chuck regretted that immediately. Worse rescue attempt ever.

"Oh is there, prophet o' the lord?"

"Uh… uh yeah, uh… Raphael! He's not dead, he's just gone for a while." Well that was true. He wasn't dead yet, just his vessel, until he found a new one.

"You know, something tells me you're lyin', twitchy." As he spoke, he kept walking closer, "But if there was even one left, you'd be protected. Since there's no screech like nails on a chalk board-"

While the demon had been talking, Chuck managed to grab a knife from the kitchen block behind him. It wasn't the biggest knife, or the sharpest, but he managed to get it between him and the demon at the last second. Jonathan walked right into the knife. For a split second, Chuck felt relief.

"Oh man, why'd you have to go and do that?" the demon took the knife away from Chuck, tossing it aside, "This was Gucci! Crowley's going to make _me_ pay for this now!"

"Cr-crowley? You work f-for Crowley?" Chuck's eyes grew wide as the demon just chuckled.

"That's right, boy-o. So. Are we going to do this the easy way, or the fun way?"

"Y-you didn't tell me what you even wanted yet!" Chuck squeaked.

"Oh!" he snapped his fingers, "Of course. I knew I forgot something. Yes, we want the information about the odd power source. Crowley seems to think you might know more about it."

"I need more details than that." Chuck swallowed a lump in his throat. He was close to fainting.

"Well unfortunately we don't have time for that, do we?" the demon grinned, gripping Chuck's shirt collar, "But you know oh so much about those hunters and the angels. My boss has told me to confiscate it all. In fact, the whole time we've been playing, some more men have been gathering up all those papers. Crowley said to leave the computer so you can write more… we'll be back for future installments."

"What if I just chose not to write anymore?"

"Oh trust me, Mr. Edlund. You'll want to keep writing. It's much better for you than the alternative."


	5. Gabriel A History Lesson

Chapter 5:

Gabriel had always been rather playful. It made sense when you think about it. He was an archangel, but he was tasked to be a messenger. All that power and no outlet meant other angels got pranked. And most of the time, Lucifer was in the middle of it, helping his little brother pull these pranks.

Those were the days. Then the fighting began. Lucifer and Michael argued more and more. Raphael just kept out of it. Gabriel kept getting dragged into the middle of it. And then when Lucifer and his garrison tried to attack Michael and their father, Gabriel left. It seemed like the best time to get out of there. He couldn't help and he didn't agree with Lucifer, even if they were so close. That's why he couldn't side with Michael either.

Gabriel had never liked smartasses, or people who abused their power. When he first came to earth, he first needed a vessel. He found one in a sick young man who'd do anything to live, even be an angel's vessel. And of course, the man was of the right bloodline. It was amazing to Gabriel in those first days on earth. There were no classes yet. There was only the healthy and the sick. And the healthy took care of the sick. However, this didn't last long. Man became greedy. They wanted more land, more food, more of everything. Men started fighting. The strongest warriors became leaders. These leaders became kings, and then the sons of these men would take over when their fathers no longer could. Then there were kingdoms and villages… countries… and now, the strong were picking on the weak. And Gabriel just couldn't let that slide past.

This is when he started to interfere. But he couldn't let on he was an angel. He started calling himself Loki. Why? Because he was keeping "low key" at this time. Clever, no? and Loki started punishing men who abused their power. A slave trader who was awfully fond of whipping found himself dropped in the middle of nowhere, naked, no way of identifying him, and was sold into slavery himself. A doctor who used leeches was common, but one in particular used the leeches on someone sick, then used the same leeches on someone healthy, so that the contaminated blood made the healthy person sick. He found himself lost in a swamp where he fell into a pond so infested with leeches that his body didn't sink in the water for the sheer amount of leeches in the water. Loki did all this and of course a lot more.

Then one day, Loki made the mistake of giving an old man bad directions. The old man had an eye patch, and thanked Loki. The old man returned moments later, a lot faster than Loki would have thought, and was confronted. Words were exchanged first, then the old man attacked Loki. He had little choice but to use his abilities to defend himself, using his doppleganger ability. That was when the old man revealed himself to be Odin, the king of the Norse gods. He was both impressed and amused by Loki's abilities and invited him to join him in Asgard.

You think it's rough being the new kid in school? Try being the new go d in the pagan realm. Luckily, Gabriel's quick thinking and silver tongue got him accepted by… most everyone. There was a certain tall, wide, muscular blonde who seemed to be trying to avoid Loki at all costs. When all the Norse pagans gathered for a feat one night, Loki figured it out. Pagan gods see, they like to eat humans. Gabriel couldn't bring himself to partake… and he noticed Thor eating anything but the main course. They shared glances throughout the night but never spoke to one another. Not until the next day. That's when Thor let Loki in on the big secret. Thor was half human. He just couldn't cannibalize, the idea made him sick. Loki explained how he couldn't eat either, seeing as he had "grown up" around humans.

After this, the two pagans practically became brothers. It was almost like Gabriel was back in heaven again. He and Thor would go and pull pranks on anyone unlucky enough to be caught in their sites. Sometimes they were harmless, sometimes they weren't.

There are quite a few stories in Norse mythology about Loki being, well, a father, a husband, and an enemy of the other gods. That's not quite right. Some humans may have mistaken his pranks for something worse. Loki was never much of a "husband" but… he did get around. And the mix of angelic and pagan genes made for some… interesting results with his children. He was a good dad. His "monstrous" children were slain by various means. Human "heroes" or mistaken pagans. Loki avenged each one of them when he lost them. They were still his kids.

When Christianity hit, a lot of pagans started to lose their powers from lack of worship, the different factions of gods started to intermingle a lot more. Loki met Kali… and Loki also met Bacchus. And boy, did those two know how to party. Women, alcohol, and food, and odd shows of power. Case in point, the nose of the Sphinx was a victim of one of their parties.

One day, about 10 years ago, Loki and Bacchus had one of their parties. Things got out of hand. They both pissed off Ares and a fight broke out. Loki actually got hurt pretty bad. He was pretty drunk too, but he realized his injury was severe enough that he had to get away from the other pagans. To put it simply, his grace was showing. As he did his best to escape, a piece of his grace was lost. It landed, looking much like a shooting star, in a small town. There wasn't much to describe. It was a small town. There was one large church in the middle of the town, and there was another odd building with a bright green roof. There was a sign, barely visible, but the name "Blackford" was visible on a sign, along with a 4-digit population number. There were some mountains far in the background as well.

XXX

Gabriel sat the folder down, sitting on the edge of the bed in the cheap motel he crashed at last night. He hadn't passed out like that since he last partied in the pagan realm. He folded his hands and was staring at the floor. He didn't remember the town. But he did, vaguely, remember that night. But that town could be in any state in America or even Canada.

He had a strong lead now. But now where did he go? Just teleport to every town named Blackford? He couldn't do that. He didn't have the strength to. He might have three, four teleports left in him, and he might need some of that power to defend himself. Who knows? There was only one idea he could come up with that made any sense. Teleport once to someone who could help, teleport again when he had the location. Sure, he could just drive, he knew how, but he was in a big hurry. He wanted his grace back. The sooner the better.

Now the questions was, where to go? Who did he know who could help him find a town where his grace would be hidden? Only one name came to mind. The name of Bobby Singer. He was hesitant to go, but he had little choice. And the Winchesters had been a lot more… tame… than he had imagined. Perhaps Singer would be as well. So, with a snap of his fingers, Gabriel vanished from the motel.

XXX

In the town of Blackford, Missouri, a Bentley pulled up across from the courthouse. Out of the driver's seat stepped Jonathan Stark. He stepped out of the Bentley and moved around to the back passenger seat, opening the door. From there, stepped Crowley, smoothing out his suit and he took a look around.

"John… does this town even have a decent hotel?"

"Afraid the best there is, is a B&B own the street from here. They're not busy at all so I didn't make a reservation. I wasn't sure if you'd even bother staying in a place like that."

"Well, I suppose I can slum it if I have to. It _is_ for a worthy cause. It may take a day or two to find what we are after."

"Of course, sir. Shall I go get you a room?"

"Yes, you go do that. I am going to find the mayor of this pitiful town." Crowley breathed out through his nose as he looked around. The town was tiny, clean, and quiet. He felt sick without the familiar feel of sin oozing from the woodwork like he was so accustomed to. As Jonathan walked off down the street to the Bed and Breakfast, Crowley made his way up the stairs. The one pitiful guard at the front door only nodded his head and opened the door, eyes flashing black for a second.

Oh this town had a _lot_ of potential for some fun.


End file.
